Committees, witchdoctors and the ‘mother-body’: Everyday politics in the township of Cato Manor, South Africa

The Township of Cato Manor (in eThekwini) has benefitted from a decade of state investment in housing, services and infrastructure. Alongside this, formal governance structures have been established, in particular the Ward Committee, which forms the key de jure seat of governance in the settlement. In reality, however, its functioning is compromised because of a range of wider power struggles over which it has little control. This paper explores how processes of the formalisation of organisations (see Oldfield, 2008), and the ‘dominant party syndrome’ (see Piper & Deacon, 2008) have directly shaped the performance of local politics within the area. A key example offered in this paper of the power of national politics at the local level is provided by an analysis of the local Branch Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC, aptly described as ‘the mother-body’, within Cato Crest, an area of Cato Manor. In addition, governance at the everyday level is shaped by a scattered range of formal and less formal committees, as well as reliance on various religious and traditional bodies and individuals, including witchdoctors. Thus, governance within Cato Crest is not typified by a singular coherent ward committee, but rather by a variety of competing committees and structures with varying roles and powers.

► Governance structures have been established within recently upgraded settlements.
► National and local politics and informal practices undermine these structures.
► The ruling ANC plays a significant role in shaping local governance realities.
► True participation by residents is compromised because of these trends.